Nigeria's Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi has been named Africa's Person of the Year by Forbes Magazine. Here Sanusi attends a session at the 10th International Economic Forum on Africa held at the French Economy ministry in Paris on June 11, 2010. (Eric Piermont /AFP/Getty Images)

The online votes are in for Forbes magazine’s inaugural Africa Person of the Year award, and Nigeria’s central bank governor Lamido Sanusi has taken the top honor.

Sanusi received more readers' votes than five other candidates, including Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

The bank rescued nine Nigerian banks and fired their executives linked to fraudulent practices in the bank’s operations. Many of those bankers have been put on trial for mismanaging public finances, reported the Nigerian television station, Channels.

Last year another financial publication, The Banker, named Sanusi as the best central bank governor of the year.

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